Roasted Mexican Tomato Soup

I was scanning through my recipe stack looking for something to do with the loads of Roma tomatoes in my garden that ripened this week, and came across a recipe from Relish magazine.  I adapted it a bit to use fresh tomatoes and LOVED the resulting soup!  The article suggested this is a great soup to share with a friend/neighbor, but we ate so much I'd have to make another batch to do that.

*2 lbs. Roma tomatoes (use any variety you've got on hand, but note that the water content is pretty low on the Romas so adjust your liquids accordingly)
*1/2 tsp. salt
*fresh ground pepper
*2 tsp. brown sugar
*2 TBSP. olive oil
*1 medium onion, chopped
*1 large carrot, chopped
*2 garlic cloves, chopped
*1/2 tsp. cumin
*1 can Mexican-style stewed tomatoes
*3 c. chicken broth
*1/4 c. heavy cream
*Monterey Jack cheese, shredded

Preheat oven to 300.  Cut the tomatoes in halves and place on a baking sheet.  Sprinkle with salt, pepper and brown sugar.  Drizzle with 1 tablespoon oil.  Bake 90 minutes, until browned.  Heat olive oil in a large saucepan.  Add onion, carrot, garlic, and cumin.  Cook, covered, for about 10 minutes.  Add roasted tomatoes, reserved juice, stewed tomatoes and broth.  Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer 20 minutes.  Mash with a potato masher or blend with an immersion blender until desired consistency. Add cream and season to taste.  Serve with Monterey Jack cheese.  Serves 8.
*This soup will freeze well, and would be great to share.
*We put a scoop of black beans in the bowl and poured the soup over top for a little added protein.  Add some fresh corn on the cob and a big salad for a very colorful and tasty meal.  Both girls loved dipping their quesadillas into the soup!

Creamy Salsa Soup

My sister informed me that soup doesn't count as a meal to some in her family.  All I can say is that I'm glad those said family members don't live under this roof.  We love soup in our home.  It's a great way to get in some extra veggies, usually pretty easy to prepare, goes great with a big salad, and leftovers are often better than the first time around.  This recipe is truly as easy as opening a can of soup, and is a delicious take on the basic tomato soup.
*2 c. prepared salsa
*1 1/2-2 c. veggie or chicken broth
*2 TBSP. heavy cream

Add salsa and broth to pan and use an immersion blender to puree.  Heat on medium for 10 minutes and stir in cream.  Top with cilantro, tortilla chips/strips, cheese, or sour cream if desired.  You could always throw in some black beans, chicken, or corn.  Love it with some quesadillas! This serves our small family of 4, but the girls don't eat huge portions of it.
Notes: Even if you usually like a hot salsa, back off at least one level of heat, even mild salsa when pureed has a kick.  I prefer this using a jar of salsa as opposed to a fresh salsa.

Tortilla Soup

I know there are a million versions of tortilla soup, but here's my super-fast version.
*1 can fire-roasted tomatoes
*1/2 chopped onion
*3 c. chicken broth
*1 clove garlic
*1 TBSP. chopped cilantro
*1 tsp. finely chopped jalapeno pepper (optional)
*dash of cumin
*2-3 c. chicken taco meat (or shredded rotisserie chicken)
*1 c. black beans

Put everything except the chicken and beans into pan and puree using a stick blender (or use a regular blender).  Add chicken and beans and simmer for 20 minutes.  Serve with add-ons of your choice: quesadillas, tortilla chips, sour cream, lime, avocado, shredded cheese, corn, etc.
This is so simple to make, especially if you have leftover meat. I always keep chopped onions, cilantro and jalapenos in my freezer so if you've planned ahead this is ready to heat in a couple minutes.

Cauliflower and Chickpea Stew

I'd seen this recipe a while back and when I saw cauliflower on sale at my market this week it reminded me I wanted to try it. But when I found the recipe online, the reviews were mixed.  I took a bunch of the suggestions to tweak it a bit. The whole family loved the end result and it was so easy!

*2 TBSP. extra-virgin olive oil
*1/2 medium onion, diced
*1 tsp. ground cumin
*1/2 tsp. ground ginger

*1/8 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
*1/2 head of cauliflower, cored and cut into small florets
*1/4 tsp. kosher salt
*1/4 tsp. black pepper
*1 can fire-roasted tomatoes, with garlic
*1 can chickpeas, rinsed and drained
*1/2 c. raisins
*1 cup baby spinach
*Parmesan cheese, optional
*1 c. couscous
*1 c. vegetable broth

In a saucepan, heat oil over medium-high heat.  Add onions and cook a few minutes until tender.  Add cumin, ginger, and red pepper; stir to combine and cook another minute until fragrant.  Add cauliflower and continue to saute for 3-4 minutes, stirring frequently.  Add tomatoes (I mashed mine a bit), chickpeas, salt and pepper.   Simmer over medium-low for 15 minutes. Just before serving, stir in spinach and raisins.  Meanwhile, put couscous in a large bowl and heat the broth until hot.  Pour broth over couscous and cover bowl with plastic wrap. Let sit 5 minutes, then use a fork to fluff and serve.  Put a pile of couscous on the plate and spoon the stew on top. Top with Parmesan if desired.

This is a very good and good-for-you 30-minute meal.

Salsa

Grabbed this recipe from Pioneer Woman...and love it! I usually make a batch a week and use it in soups, burritos, and to dip.

*28 oz. canned tomatoes with juice

*20 oz. Rotel (original)

*1/4 c. chopped onion

*1 clove garlic, minced

*1 jalapeno, sliced thin (I like heat but sometimes if the peppers are hot, this may be too much...)

*1/4 tsp. sugar

*1/4 tsp. cumin (I use about twice this)

*1/4 tsp. salt

*1/2 c. cilantro

*1/2 lime, juiced

Put it all in your food processor and pulse until it reaches the consistency you like.

Hint: If you've got the ingredients and cutting board out, here's a way to make this a little easier for your next batches.  Grab a couple onions, several peppers and garlic along with the bunch of cilantro.  Chop/slice/mince all of it.  Put a few squares of plastic wrap out on the counter and pile up enough of each to make one batch (or even half of this recipe) on each square. You could even freeze the lime juice in an ice cube tray and add the cube to the pile. Fold over the plastic to wrap each 'packet' up and put all of the packets into a zip-top bag and put in the freezer. Then the next time you're craving salsa all you'll have to do is open a couple cans of tomato, throw in the frozen packet and seasonings and you're done.

Pasta with Tomato Cream Sauce

My tomatoes finally decided conditions were ideal enough to turn red. I have been drying most, but decided to try my hand at canning them. I made a batch of tomato sauce the night before I saw this recipe post and decided it would be easier to use some of it than carry it downstairs to the fruit-room. I cut out a little of the fat, and we all still loved this dish.

*2 TBSP. olive oil

*1 TBSP. butter

*1 medium onion, finely diced

*4 cloves garlic, minced

*2 cans (15 oz. each) tomato sauce

*salt and pepper, to taste

*dash of sugar, to taste

*1/2 c. heavy cream

*Parmesan cheese, to taste (about 1/4 c.)

* Fresh basil, chopped

*1 1/2 pound fettuccine

Heat oil and butter over medium heat. Add onions and garlic and saute for a minute. Pour in tomato sauce. Add salt, pepper and sugar. Stir and cook over low heat for 25-30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat and stir in cream and cheese. Meanwhile, cook pasta according to package directions. Drain and reserve 1 cup of pasta water. Stir pasta into sauce and thin with water as desired. Add chopped basil and serve hot.

Incredible Cannelloni

The TV gods added the Cooking Channel to my lineup and I was so excited I went nuts DVRing all sorts of shows. This recipe comes from Jamie Oliver, who I first fell in love with when he was doing his Naked Chef gig. I know the ingredient list might turn a few people off (normally myself included) but these are seriously incredible. Brett declared this may be one of the best pasta dishes he's ever eaten. I changed a few things from the original and was super happy with the results. This amount served our family of 4 perfectly.

*1/2 lb. broccoli

*1/2 lb. cauliflower

*Extra-virgin olive oil

*4 cloves garlic, sliced

*1/2 bunch thyme leaves

*1/2 oz. anchovies (stay with me here, and if you're scared of the fish, go with anchovy paste or skip)

*2 small dry red chilies, crumbled

*1/4 c. part-skim ricotta

*1/2 c. mozzarella, divided

*1c. tomato sauce

*1/2 tsp. pepper

*1/8 tsp. red pepper flakes

*splash of red wine vinegar

*2 TBSP. butter

*2 TBSP. flour

*1 c. milk (or 3/4 c. milk +1/4 c. cream)

*1/2 c. Parmesan cheese, divided

*10 cannelloni shells

*basil

Cut up broccoli and cauliflower. Boil in salted water for 5 minutes. Reserve 1 c. water and drain. Heat saucepan and add olive oil and garlic, fry for a minute, then add thyme, anchovies, and chilies. Stir well and add broccoli and cauliflower and a few TBSP. reserved water. Stir well, cover loosely (leave a gap near the lid) and cook for about 20 minutes. Remove lid and cook another 5 minutes. Use a potato masher (or an immersion blender) to smash it up to a smooth-ish consistency. Taste and season with salt and pepper. Stir in ricotta and 1/8 c. mozzarella cheese. Spread out on a baking sheet to cool a bit. Meanwhile, lightly grease a baking pan. Combine tomato sauce, pepper, red pepper flakes and red wine vinegar and spread over bottom of pan. Fill zip top bag with cauliflower mix and snip off corner. Use bag to pipe filling into the cannelloni shells. There will be plenty of filling, so don't be stingy. Place filled shells on top of the tomato sauce close together. Put basil leaves on top of shells, maybe a leaf or so per shell.

In a small saucepan over medium-low heat, melt butter. Whisk in flour and whisk until smooth and thickened. Pour in milk and increase heat to medium-high, whisk for about 5 minutes until thickened. Remove from heat and add 1/4 c. Parmesan cheese, whisk to combine. Pour over top of cannelloni. Sprinkle remaining Parmesan and mozzarella cheese. Drizzle with olive oil and bake 30-40 minutes until golden and bubbling.

Pasta with Chickpea Tomato Sauce

Pulled this from an Everyday Food magazine a while back. I spent some time over the weekend canning tomatoes and thought this sounded like a good use. My mom might just keel over after reading that I loved it because it is very reminiscent of my most dreaded dish from childhood--macaroni and tomatoes (I may have just gagged)! Anyway, I've listed the changes I made and this amount will serve about 4 as a main meal with a good salad and bread on the side.

*2 TBSP. extra virgin olive oil

*2 garlic cloves, minced

*1/2 tsp. red pepper flakes

*1 c. cooked chickpeas (rinse and drain if using canned)

*1/2 tsp. Kosher salt

*1/2 tsp. onion powder

*2 c. cooked tomatoes, pureed or (crushed from can)

*1 c. chicken broth

*1 sprig of basil, plus more for garnish

*10-12 oz. medium pasta shells (depending how saucy you'd like it)

In a medium saucepan, heat oil over medium heat. Add garlic and red pepper flakes, stir to cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add chickpeas and season with salt and onion powder. Cook for about 5 minutes. Add tomatoes and broth, bring to a boil. Reduce to simmer and cook about 20 minutes, stirring often until slightly reduced. Add basil to tomato sauce and cook 5 minutes more. Remove basil. Meanwhile, cook pasta according to package directions. Drain and toss with sauce. Serve with Parmesan cheese and basil.

Quick & Spicy Tomato Sauce (with turkey meatballs)

This is a very easy way to do tomato sauce and I liked the flavor from the fire roasted tomatoes

*1 TBSP. olive oil

*1/2 medium onion, chopped

*4 cloves garlic, minced

*3 TBSP. tomato paste

*1 (28 oz.) can crushed fire-roasted tomatoes, liquid included (I pureed mine a bit)

*1 tsp. finely minced canned chipotle en adobo and sauce (leave out if you don't want the heat)

*2 tsp. finely chopped oregano leaves

*1 sprig fresh rosemary

*salt

*1/4 c. torn fresh basil leaves

In a 4-qt. saucepan heat the oil over medium heat. Saute the onions until translucent, about 3 minutes, then add the garlic and cook for 1 minute more. Add tomato paste, tomatoes, chipotles, oregano, rosemary, and salt. Bring all the ingredients to a low boil, reduce heat and cook for approximately 15 minutes, until liquid has evaporated slightly. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Remove rosemary (add meatballs, cover and cook for 10 minutes) add basil just before serving.

Creamy Rice, Chicken & Spinach Dinner

I got this from Kraft Food & Family several years ago and we used to eat it all the time, until I forgot about it. I found it a few weeks ago in one of my binders and decided to revisit it. I couldn't find the Roasted Red Pepper dressing at my grocery store, so I used a sun dried tomato one instead.

*1/4 c. Kraft Roasted Red Pepper Italian with Parmesan Dressing
*1 lb. boneless skinless chicken breasts (I used tenderloins)
*1 1/2 c. reduced-sodium chicken broth
*2 c. Brown Minute Rice, uncooked
*4 oz. Neufchatel cheese, cubed
*8 oz. baby or torn spinach leaves (I usually only use half this amount and do a spinach salad)
*1 medium tomato, chopped (or a can of diced tomatoes)
*2 TBSP. shredded Parmesan cheese

Heat dressing in large deep skillet on medium-high heat. Add chicken; cook 3 min. Add broth; bring to boil. Stir in rice; return to boil. Cover. Reduce heat to medium; simmer 5 minutes.
Stir Neufchatel cheese into rice mixture until melted. Add spinach; cover. Cook 1 minute or until spinach is wilted. Stir rice mixture gently to mix spinach. Cover.
Remove from heat and let stand 5 minutes. Stir in tomatoes, (I warm them in a skillet so they are hot when added) sprinkle with cheese.
Photo from Kraftfoods.com

Slow-Cooker Pasta y Fagiole

Pasta e Fagioli is one of my favorite soups (even though I just realized I've never posted my regular recipe...coming soon). I first fell in love with it at the Olive Garden and have been making it for years, so when I saw this recipe making it in a crock-pot, I wanted to try it. I had browned ground beef in the freezer, so this took about 10 minutes to prep and get cooking (yeah). This was less broth-y than my standard and although the flavor is a bit different, the hubby and I really enjoyed it.

*1 lb. lean ground beef, browned and drained
*1/2 large red onion, chopped
*1 c. carrots, chopped
*2 celery stalks, sliced
*2 cans diced tomatoes (I used one can and 12 oz. V8)
*1 can kidney beans, drained and rinsed
*1 can great northern beans, drained and rinsed
*4 c. beef broth
*2 tsp. oregano (I used 1 tsp. oregano and 1 tsp. Italian seasoning)
*1 jar (16.5 oz.) pasta sauce
*1 TBSP. Tabasco sauce
*1/2 tsp. salt
*1/4 tsp. black pepper
*1/2 c. dry pasta to add at end of cooking time (I use small shells or salad macaroni)

In a 6-qt. crockpot, combine all ingredients except the noodles. Cook on low for about 8 hrs. or high for about 4. Stir in dry pasta and cook another 15-30 minutes until pasta is tender. Serve with fresh Parmesan cheese.
I made half of this recipe and there was plenty for our family of 4. This soup would freeze very well (except for the noodles) so if you don't need the full batch, make it and pull some out to cool and freeze before adding the noodles.

Freezer Tomato Sauce

This recipe comes from Teresa Blackburn, who is a food stylist and food preservation expert.

*16 medium to large ripe, but firm, tomatoes
*1/2 c. torn, fresh basil leaves
*6-8 garlic cloves, thickly sliced
*2 TBSP. white balsamic or red wine vinegar
*1 tsp. sea salt
*Coarsely ground black pepper

Preheat oven to 375. Cover baking sheet with parchment paper.
Cut an X in the bottom of each tomato and place on parchment with X side up.Roast tomatoes 20-30 minutes, until skin begins to pull away at the X. Remove pan from oven and let tomatoes cool (about 30 minutes or so).
When cool enough to handle, core each tomato and peel skin away from meat of tomato using a sharp knife. Work over a large nonreactive bowl to catch juices.
Coarsely chop tomatoes in bowl using knife or scissors, or squish with your hands. Add basil, garlic, vinegar, salt and pepper. Mix well.Label clean glass gars, freezer boxes or bats. Fill containers 2/3 full with sauce; seal or close and place in freezer up to 6 months. Makes about 12 cups, depending on size of tomatoes.

I turned about 3 cups of this sauce into pasta sauce for dinner by adding about 1 TBSP. Italian seasoning and simmering over low heat for about 30 minutes. It was so tasty and fresh, we loved it over the mostaccioli noodles and especially as a dipping sauce for the garlic bread.

Creamy Tomato Soup

I needed to take dinner into a couple of people and was looking for a soup that would be easy to reheat leftovers and comforting to those on the mend. I found this recipe I had clipped from the USA Weekend in December '08. For a homemade soup, this is very easy. Also, I usually can't stomach canned tomato soups because of macaroni and tomato issues as a child, but I really enjoyed it and the hubby finished three bowls.

*1 TBSP. olive oil
*1 large onion, chopped
*1 1/2 TBSP Italian seasoning
*2 28-oz. cans crushed tomatoes (I used diced)
*1 tsp. baking soda
*2 c. chicken broth
*1 12-oz. can evaporated milk
*salt and pepper to taste

Heat oil in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add onion; saute until tender, 5-7 minutes. Stir in Italian seasoning; cook until fragrant, less than a minute. Add tomatoes and baking soda, then chicken broth; bring to a simmer. Reduce heat to low and simmer, partially covered to blend flavors, about 10 minutes.
Puree soup until creamy smooth, either by working batches of the soup through your blender or save a big mess and a lot of effort by using your immersion blender. (If you don't have an immersion blender, get one. I truly use mine almost every day.) Return soup to pot, stir in milk and heat to simmer, seasoning with salt and pepper. Soup can be refrigerated 3 days before serving and I froze a batch and it worked great. Next time I freeze it I'll just add the milk when I reheat.Makes 10 cups, appx. 8 servings. We had this with fresh bread the first time and grilled turkey and cheese sandwiches with the reheat...yummy. I also think this would be yummy with some mushroom ravioli and a little balsamic vinegar.

Sun-Dried Tomatoes

For those of you lucky enough to have gardens dripping with tomatoes, you might want to try making your own sun-dried tomatoes and saving a bunch of money. I really had never considered making these myself until I saw that Martha was making her own and I happened to have a basket full of tomatoes in my kitchen. So I read a bunch of stuff online and woke up early this morning to make a batch. This is quite easy to do, even though I overcooked a few of them (they'll make good croutons for a salad).

Grab a bunch of tomatoes, any variety will work, although Roma's are preferred.
Choose if you want skins or no skins on your tomatoes. If you want no skins, bring a large pot of water to a boil, drop the tomatoes into the water to 'cook' for about 45 seconds. Remove from pot and immediately submerge in a big bowl of ice water. Pull the tomatoes out of the cold water, make a slice near the stem and the skin should squeeze/pull right off.If you want the skins (or after you've removed the skins) just cut in half, scoop out seeds and any bruised spots, then place flat on a dehydrator tray or cooling rack. I lined a baking sheet with foil and put the cooling rack on top for easy clean up. At this point you could dry them, but many sites recommend seasoning with salt (I went with finely ground sea salt) and/or basil (I just used dried). Preheat oven to 150 (or lowest temp). I used the convection setting on my oven and the lowest it went is 165. Dry the tomatoes for until they are soft, like raisins, not wet or sticky. Remove from try and allow to cool for about 30 minutes. Store in freezer bags removing all air.
Some of my tomatoes were a bit on the small side and dried in about 3 hours, the medium-sized ones took 4 hours, but I think the big ones would take closer to 6-7 hours or more if you leave the skins on to lose all the moisture.

Gnocchi with Tomato Sauce

If you haven't tried gnocchi before, give it a try. These potato dumplings are so tasty and fairly easy to make. You can make them ahead of time (during the day if you are lucky enough to have time while kids are napping) and keep them covered in the fridge until dinner time. They cook in about 2-3 minutes and are perfect for a nice fall evening.
I got this recipe from Williams-Sonoma a few years back.

2 1/4 lb. russet potatoes (about 4 large or 7 medium/small)
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. freshly grated nutmeg
1/2 tsp. pepper (white if you've got it)
2 1/2 c. flour (you probably won't use all of this)

Thoroughly scrub potatoes put into a pressure cooker with 1 c. water. Cover and cook on high for 5-7 minutes (as per instructions). Peel potatoes using a spoon while hot.
Pass potato through potato ricer (This handy tool is similar to a garlic press, but larger, for potatoes. I'll admit I only use mine a handful of times through the year, but I am ALWAYS glad I have one when I need it.)
and let form a mound on lightly floured surface.
Make a well in the center. Pour eggs into the well.
Season potatoes with salt, nutmeg and pepper. Sprinkle 1 cup flour over potatoes.
Using fork, gradually blend eggs with potato mixture. Use your hands to mix the dough, adding more flour as needed to form firm, but moist dough. DO NOT OVERWORK. Mixing process should take no more than 5 minutes.
Divide dough into 6 equal pieces. Roll each into a rope 1/2 inch thick. Flour work surface as needed so dough is not too sticky. Cut rope into 3/4 inch pieces.
Gently roll each piece on the back of a fork (or a gnocchi ridger if you have one), with your thumb and pointer finger.
Place on a baking sheet lined with lightly floured towel.

Bring 6 qt. salted water to a boil.

Keri's easy tomato sauce:
Meanwhile, heat a large saute pan over medium high heat. Add 1 TBSP. olive oil and 1 clove minced garlic. Cook over medium until garlic is soft and translucent. Add 2 cans Italian Diced Tomatoes (the 14ish oz. size), pureed. Stir and add2 tsp. basil. Keep warm over low heat until gnocchi are ready.

When water is boiling, gently add about 1/3 of the gnocchi to the water and cook for about 2 minutes. As soon as they float to the top, they are ready. Remove them with a slotted spoon and toss in the tomato sauce.

Note: These cook quickly and will go from done to mush just as fast. We had my bro & sis-in-law over and we had VERY SOFT gnocchi the first batch because they were floating to the top and I took a minute to get the bread out of the oven... They were still edible, but not so photo worthy (hence no final picture). The second batch worked much better because I stayed right by the pan.